Who is 'on-call' in Australia? A new classification approach for on-call employment in future population-level studies.
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of 2044 adults assessed sociodemographic and work arrangements of Australian on-call workers and found that 45.5% reported working at least one day oncall in the previous month.
Abstract: Background On-call research and guidance materials typically focus on ‘traditional’ on-call work (e.g., emergency services, healthcare). However, given the increasing prevalence of non-standard employment arrangements (e.g., gig work and casualisation), it is likely that a proportion of individuals who describe themselves as being on-call are not included in current on-call literature. This study therefore aimed to describe the current sociodemographic and work characteristics of Australian on-call workers. Methods A survey of 2044 adults assessed sociodemographic and work arrangements. Of this population, 1057 individuals were workforce participants, who were asked to provide information regarding any on-call work they performed over the last three months, occupation type, weekly work hours, and the presence or absence of non-standard work conditions. Results Of respondents who were working, 45.5% reported working at least one day on-call in the previous month. There was a high prevalence of on-call work in younger respondents (63.1% of participants aged 18–24 years), and those who worked multiple jobs and more weekly work hours. Additionally, high prevalence rates of on-call work were reported by machinery operators, drivers, community and personal service workers, sales workers, and high-level managers. Conclusions These data suggest that on-call work is more prevalent than previously recorded and is likely to refer to a broad set of employment arrangements. Current classification systems may therefore be inadequate for population-level research. A taxonomy for the classification of on-call work is proposed, incorporating traditional on-call work, gig economy work, relief, or unscheduled work, and out of hours work.
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TL;DR: In this article , the authors compared the mental health and life satisfaction of those employed in the gig work and contingent work with those in full-time or part-time work and the unemployed in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract: Objectives To compare the mental health and life satisfaction of those employed in the gig work and contingent work with those in full-time or part-time work and the unemployed in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore the possible mechanisms of latent and manifest benefits of employment, such as financial precarity and loneliness. Design Cross-sectional survey. Participants A representative sample of 17 722 employed and unemployed British adults, including 429 gig workers. People with disability, retirees and full-time students are not included in the sample. Main outcome measures Mental health (General Health Questionnaire-12 score) and life satisfaction (a direct question from UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS)) as outcomes. Self-reported loneliness (four widely used questions from UKHLS) and financial precarity (a direct question from UKHLS) as mediators. Results Gig workers reported mental health and life satisfaction worse than those employed full time and part time, but better than the unemployed. Mediation analyses showed that gig workers’ worse mental health and life satisfaction than other workers were explained by their higher levels of loneliness and financial precarity, while gig workers’ better mental health and life satisfaction than the unemployed were explained by their less financial precarity. Conclusions Informal and freelance economy provided manifest benefits of employment to gig workers compared with unemployment but lacked latent benefits of employment. Public policies should provide social support to freelance and contingent workers to reduce their loneliness and improve their psychological well-being, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TL;DR: In this article , a systematic review evaluates existing trials about the efficacy of intensive sleep retraining for treating insomnia, to inform whether there is enough evidence to recommend its use for clinical practice.
Abstract: Intensive sleep retraining (ISR) is a brief behavioural treatment for sleep onset insomnia, administered in just a single overnight treatment session. This systematic review evaluates existing trials about the efficacy of intensive sleep retraining for treating insomnia, to inform whether there is enough evidence to recommend its use for clinical practice. A systematic literature search was conducted across three databases, yielding 108 results. Of these studies, three were deemed suitable for inclusion in this review. The included studies consistently reported significant reductions in insomnia symptoms following intensive sleep retraining, particularly decreases in sleep diary-derived sleep latency and increases in total sleep time. Based on these inconclusive but promising findings, a research agenda is proffered to test intensive sleep retraining as a treatment for insomnia. Large randomised controlled trials are needed to elucidate the potential benefits of intensive sleep retraining for different populations with insomnia, as are mechanistic trials to test which components underlie its seemingly therapeutic effects. Since more practical modalities of intensive sleep retraining administration have been developed, such trials are more feasible to conduct now than ever before.
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University College London1, University of Helsinki2, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health3, French Institute of Health and Medical Research4, Karolinska Institutet5, Stockholm University6, RMIT University7, Stockholm County Council8, Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health9, Université libre de Bruxelles10, Ghent University11, University of Düsseldorf12, University of Duisburg-Essen13, Mid Sweden University14, Umeå University15, University of Copenhagen16, University of Turku17, University of Skövde18, Turku University Hospital19, Uppsala University20, Queen's University Belfast21, University of Essex22, University of Edinburgh23, University of Bristol24
TL;DR: Employees who work long hours have a higher risk of stroke than those working standard hours; the association with coronary heart disease is weaker; these findings suggest that more attention should be paid to the management of vascular risk factors in individuals whoWork long hours.
497 citations
TL;DR: Sleep problems and daytime consequences are endemic among Australian adults and a focus on healthy sleep at a policy level as well as increased clinician and public awareness may be warranted.
204 citations
TL;DR: The gig economy describes forms of contingent work arrangements that require digital platforms, representing an evolution in contingent work, both in moving up the educational scale and in increased visibility.
Abstract: "The gig economy describes forms of contingent work arrangements that require digital platforms, representing an evolution in contingent work, both in moving up the educational scale and in increased visibility. It has engaged many workers who are highly educated and might previously have been in traditional employer-employee relationships, and appears to increase their vulnerability to wage theft, independent contractor misclassification, job insecurity, and lack of occupational health protections. As occupational health physicians, our need to develop, evaluate, and implement interventions to address the needs of workers in non-traditional employment relationships is growing."
111 citations
TL;DR: The reviewed research suggests that on-call work scheduling can pose a risk to health, although there are critical gaps in the literature.
Abstract: Many professions in the fields of engineering, aviation and medicine employ this form of scheduling. However, on-call work has received significantly less research attention than other work patterns such as shift work and overtime hours. This paper reviews the current body of peer-reviewed, published research conducted on the health effects of on-call work The health effects studies done in the area of on-call work are limited to mental health, job stress, sleep disturbances and personal safety. The reviewed research suggests that on-call work scheduling can pose a risk to health, although there are critical gaps in the literature.
109 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the implications of this commodification and advocate the full recognition of activities in the gig-economy as "work" and advocate for the recognition of these activities as work.
Abstract: The so-called “gig-economy” has been growing exponentially in numbers and importance in recent years but its impact on labour rights has been largely overlooked. Forms of work in the “gig-economy” include “crowdwork”, and “work- on-demand via apps”, under which the demand and supply of working activities is matched online or via mobile apps. These forms of work can provide a good match of job opportunities and allow flexible working schedules. However, they can also pave the way to a severe commodification of work. This paper discusses the implications of this commodification and advocates the full recognition of activities in the gig-economy as “work”.
94 citations